Case Study: Gsuite to Microsoft 365 Cloud Environment Migration

Client: Confidential

Project Owner: Precision IT Consulting

Scope: Full migration from Google Workspace (Gsuite) to Microsoft 365, including email, user identities, Google Drive data, and implementation of Microsoft security and collaboration features.

Client Overview

The client engaged Precision IT Consulting to manage a full migration from Google Workspace (Gsuite) to Microsoft 365. The project encompassed planning, licensing, tenant setup, data migration (mail and Drive), and post-cutover support. The effort also involved establishing secure access controls, SharePoint structure, and alignment with organizational workflows.

Phase 1: Discovery & Planning

Key Objectives:

• Understand the current Gsuite environment and workflows.
• Introduce Microsoft 365 feature set and implications (e.g., MFA, Office apps, Conditional Access).
• Collaborate with client POC to define scope, identify critical users, and align on scheduling.

Key Deliverables:

• Defined migration and cutover timeline.
• Identified affected users and data sets (mailboxes, Google Drive content).
• Communicated user experience changes (SSO, MFA, Office UX).
  

Phase 2: Environment Preparation

Microsoft 365 Tenant Configuration:

• Created a new Microsoft 365 tenant and purchased required licensing.
• Disabled default Microsoft security policies in favor of custom Azure Conditional Access rules.
• Set up the following conditional access policies:
• Geo-restriction: Blocking sign-ins from outside the U.S.
• MFA Enforcement: Applied via dynamic Azure groups.
• Privileged Access: Required stronger controls for admin roles.

Gsuite & BitTitan Preparation:

• Prepped Gsuite tenant for mailbox and Drive migration.
• Ordered BitTitan migration licenses.
• Configured migration endpoints for both Gsuite and Microsoft 365.
• Set up domain DNS records including:
• MX, SPF, DKIM, DMARC, TXT (for email routing and validation).
• Created user accounts and dynamic security groups in Azure.
  

Phase 3: Email Migration & DNS Cutover

DNS Cutover Activities:

• Updated public DNS to point mail flow to Microsoft 365.
• Validated records and began full mailbox migration via BitTitan.

Migration Notes:

• Encountered temporary degradation errors during BitTitan full sync.
• Issues resolved and migration completed successfully.
• Verified email flow post-migration by sending and receiving test emails.
  

Phase 4: Drive to SharePoint Migration

Initial Setup:

• Created two SharePoint Online sites:
• All Company (General staff access)
• Data Internal (Restricted access for specific staff: John Busch, Jared, Ali, James Carrington)

Migration Workflow:

• Downloaded the full Google Drive content as backup.
• Used Microsoft migration tool, encountered upload and mapping issues.
• Resolved by deleting and recreating Drive mappings, bypassing the CSV method.
• Completed data migration after manual remediation of failed files.
• Final validation performed; old Google Drive shares disabled.

Notes:



• Worked with the customer to structure SharePoint folders and assign user-level permissions.
• Migrated high-security/restricted files to appropriate internal areas.
• Manually resolved character length issues (over 255 characters) by renaming folders/files.
  

Phase 5: Go Live & Post-Migration Support

Support Activities:

• Technician available on standby during go-live window.
• Troubleshooted missing and empty folders caused by SharePoint path limits.
• Worked with client teams to adjust long-named build/demo folders.
• Revalidated critical access and confirmed all staff had transitioned to working within SharePoint.

Outcome & Value Delivered

• Seamless transition to Microsoft 365 with minimal disruption to operations.
• Enhanced security posture via Conditional Access and MFA.
• Centralized collaboration environment via SharePoint with structured access controls.
• Full data continuity maintained across email and Drive systems.
• Improved IT manageability and scalability for future growth.